


Common (non)Sense

by Kitty_KatAllie



Category: Harvest Moon: Animal Parade
Genre: Alpha!Toby, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta!Evelyn, Cunnilingus, F/M, First "Date" Sex because fuck waiting that's why, Knotting, Latina!Evelyn, Mates, SUPER FUCKING LATE VALENTINE'S DAY, Speed Dating, Valentine's Day, some racebending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-10-15 04:06:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10549796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitty_KatAllie/pseuds/Kitty_KatAllie
Summary: Evie is a Beta. Run of the mill and average. Her best friend is the picture perfect Omega who just can't seem to catch a break in the dating department thanks to crippling shyness and poor self-esteem. With the brilliant idea to give speed-dating a try a week before Valentine's Day, Evie meets the least aggressive, most laidback Alpha she's EVER heard of. It's only common sense that he's really just interested in Candace, and it's really just obvious that she needs to be the wingman here.Despite her own crippling attraction to him.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [UrzaHemlock](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UrzaHemlock/gifts).



> This was a gift for Urza and, literally, a self-indulgent guilty pleasure piece. She wanted smut, I wanted A/B/O, and I'm super shitty at keeping promises, apparently. Cuz WOW is this Valentine's gift late. Thanks for being an amazing Beta (reader, uhhh) and I hope it's worth the wait.
> 
> Also, this is the most cobbled together POS a/b/o thing ever but I DON'T CARE.

Neither of them were very good at this part.

Sure, Candace had a great eye for color and loved fashion shows like any other burgeoning seamstress. But… well, she wasn’t much of designer when it came to  _herself_ , and had never grasped make-up skills at all. And sure, Evie knew how to do a braid or two, and how to put on lipstick. But… well, anything more complicated than that and she was all thumbs and crossed eyes when she leaned too close to the mirror. Luna had been their go-to for anything like this, but Evie and Candace both knew if Luna figured out what they were up to, they’d  _never_  hear the end of it.  _After_  over an hour’s worth lecture of how stupid the idea was.

“Maybe it  _is_  a bad idea,” Candace muttered, tone and expression disheartened as she picked up the brown eyeliner Evie handed over. “Are you sure it should be brown? I thought black was always better?” she added with a little moue of confusion on her sweet, baffled face.

Evie’s mouth pursed and twisted up to the side, and not just because she’d managed to shade one eye  _way_  too dark. She looked like she’d lost a boxing match…

“Candy, I have no friggin’ clue. But it was in  _your_  make-up bag that  _Luna_  made the last time she tried to doll us up,” Evie replied with a huff. She snapped the eyeshadow box shut and dropped it back in its bag with a disgusted grunt. “And frankly, I don’t give a damn. I’mma wash my face and go scandalously bare-faced. Screw it!”

“That sounds much easier,” Candace agreed with a relieved sigh. Evie tutted and leveled Candace with a  _look_.

“It’s all right for  _me_.  _I’m_  a Beta,” Evie retorted with a flash of beta blue eyes and a smirk. “This is an Alpha-slash-Omega deal and  _you_  have to be prettied up for all the Alphies.”

Candace’s features pulled into a look of utter disgust and horror had Evie ugly-snorting into her wet washcloth. By the time she’d managed to pull herself together and drop the sopping wet and make-up stained cloth into the sink, Candace was zipping up her bag and putting her cosmetics away.

“I would rather  _not_  pretend to be someone I’m not. No one ever finds anyone at events like these, anyway,” Candace pointed out, already defeated and weary.

Evie’s humor softened into sympathy. At twenty-four, with a whopping zero in her dating repertoire, Candace was already losing what optimism she’d had. (Said optimism had mostly been Disney-cultivated, so perhaps therein lay the problem…) Candace was the picture perfect Omega: submissive, quiet, domestic, and sweet-tempered. But she was also shy and still wrestling with years’ worth of insecurity issues. Being a textbook definition of what society wanted you to be wasn’t always easy, not when it came with a crap ton of pressure and  _expectations_.

For as long as they’d been friends, Evie had done her best to draw Candace out of her shell with help from Candace’s baby sister. As much as Candace had grown and changed since their college years, she was still to the very core timid and self-deprecating, yet tempered with a deep sense of right. A childhood of being bullied had taught her just what it felt like to  _be bullied_ , obviously, and there was a flash of steel in her that refused to let herself be dragged into anything resembling that position again.

Unfortunately, the easiest way to do that- in Candace’s heavily-weighted towards flight response sort of personality- meant she just didn’t allow herself in a situation where it might arise. It had taken months of delicate diplomacy on Evie’s end to crack that shell, and almost a year to fully integrate Candace into her group of friends. Dating? Or  _Mating_?  _HA._  It hadn’t even been on Candace’s bucket list.

It wasn’t as though there weren’t offers. Leaving adolescence behind meant more and more people being mature enough to look at Candace and  _keep_  looking. The problem was, there were usually two types of Alphas that approached Candace.

  * The genuinely kind and respectful ones who would make overtures and flirt without pushing limits; and sweet, humble Candace was also sweet, humble,  _oblivious_  Candace and missed every sign. Until said interested Alpha backed off and moved on.
  * The douchebags. That terrified the shit out of Candace, but were, of course, the only ones she ever realized were hitting on her.



But Evie was bound and determined to help Candace find the right guy or gal. Because almost every single one of their friends were dating, some in long-term committed relationships, and Evie had seen the gaze of wistful longing on Candace’s face. … okay, she'd noticed after Luna had pointed it out. Then, Luna had started setting Candace up on  _terrible_  blind dates for the past four months.

Evie led Candace to the closed-lid toilet to set her down. With bravado-fueled deft hands, the younger of the two friends began to comb her fingers through thick, luscious blue hair to pile it into a high bun on top of Candace’s head. Even a messy bun would look cute and downright  _exotic_  on Candace, honestly. Her hair was so long and always down.

“Speed dating is… well, it’s not the best. But have the blind dates Luna’s been doing been any better?” Evie asked pointedly, squinting as her glasses slid down her nose.

Candace murmured, “No, I suppose not.”

“Suppose.  _Suppose_. That last Alpha suggested you call her up for your next heat, but don’t bother with anything else! What a knothead,” Evie grumbled angrily. She finally wrapped the band around the bun and grinned proudly. “Anyway! The best part about speed dating is five minutes later, you get to move on to next one. If one’s a creep, DING, next one! That one’s a douchenozzle? DING, next, please!”

Candace giggle behind her hand despite herself. “That  _was_  very appealing.”

“Of course it is,” Evie concurred, fists on her hips and face smug. “I’m a genius. Now, I need to put in contacts and change my shirt, ‘cuz of course I got it soaked. Grab our purses and we’ll head out.”

“You don’t have a purse!” Candace called after Evie’s retreating back.

The two women turned from the cocktail bar holding ice-less ginger ales, and grimaced. Their name tags were flashy and  _huge_  over their left boobs, which was  _fantastic_. It didn’t help that the receptionist dude had almost told Evie to fuck right off. Candace immediately offering to leave, too, had been the only reason the asshole had even let her in. Snooty little sexist.  _Even Omegas can be pretentious pricks, take that Hollywood,_  Evie thought to herself bitterly. Her nametag was lined in red, like all the Alphas, and her name scrawled almost illegibly across it in Sharpie. Candace’s was lined in gold, her name much neater, if much smaller, and a number had been printed into a corner. As they cased the room from the (relative) safety of the bar, Evie caught sight of two more Betas like herself.

Both were wearing waitstaff outfits. And staring at her like she was insane.

Yeah, sure, it was an Alpha/Omega mixer. She was here for moral support!  _She_  wasn’t expecting to walk away with a date. Not… Not when it was a room full of Alphas and Candace was standing next to her.

Evie smiled fondly over at her obliviously adorable friend.

Shy and quiet as she was, time and time again, Alphas and even other Betas had glanced right past Evie to look at  _Candace_. Especially since college ended and she’d started lifting her head up high enough to meet people’s eyes. Especially since she’d got her dream job to take off and the scent of finals stress and pheromone blockers all students were required by law to take had faded away into Candace’s natural, sweet, flowery scent. 

If Evie were attracted to Omegas at all, she’d just marry Candace herself. It’d be so much easier, since dating hadn’t been that great for Evie, either.

Evie just…

Evie was stupidly and ridiculously attracted Alphas. There was something about the flash of red eyes and their headier, muskier scent that got her heart beating too fast.

And every fucking time it ended in disaster. She didn’t go through heats or ruts, she didn’t smell as good, and her eyes were boring beta blue. Alphas and Omegas almost  _always_  ended up Mated in the long run. Hell, one Alpha dated her for a few days before admitting he was dating her only because she smelled like  _Candace_  due to the two of them living together for the past three years. A lot of the people she’d tried talking to online suggested she had a  _knot fetish_  (and then followed up with crass offers to help out occasionally, just to cherry-top that shit sundae). It was only common sense Alphas would prefer her nicer, sweeter Omega friend. 

And now half the Alphas in the room were glaring her down, thinking she was there to snake an Omega from them. She snorted softly.  _How frackin’ ironic._

Candace’s hand grabbed at Evie and nails dug into the meat of her forearm. Evie flinched in shock more than pain, and twisted her head around to gape at Candace. She looked bone-white and horrified, her wide eyes staring across the room. Just around the edges, gold began to rim her blueberry irises as her pupils dilated to pinpricks in shock.

“Candy?” Evie whispered, leaning close and blocking her friend from most the room protectively.

Candace jerked her gaze away from what- or whoever to stare helplessly up at Evie. “It’s… I th-think I know s-someone here,” she whispered hoarsely.

Evie’s own eyes widened in surprise.  _The stutter_. She hadn’t heard that affectation in  _years_.  “Who is it? Do you we need to go? Are you okay?” she demanded quickly and quietly. She gripped Candace’s wrist with a gentle, assuring squeeze.

Candace bit down  _hard_  on her bottom lip, but slowly shook her head. “N-No, I d-d… I don’t think he’ll recognize me. It’s b-b… It’s been years. Over a decade.”

Evie’s auburn eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she nodded back. “All right. But if you change your mind, lemme know. I’ll bust us outta here like the Kool-Aid Man.” Candace blinked and Evie dropped her voice a few octaves to add, “ _Oh yeah_.”

Startled and probably a little embarrassed by now, Candace burst into trilling laughter, a hand covering her mouth just barely. “That was terrible! That didn’t sound right at all!”

“Oh, like you can do better, dollface,” Evie said, laughing as well. She didn’t bother trying to stifle it, just wrapped an arm around her belly, the other around Candace’s shoulders, and laughed uproariously.

She didn’t mind them staring so much at her. They already were, so. As long as they didn’t stare at (and scare away) Candace. Soon enough the first bell rang and everyone gathered around to listen with only half an ear to the rules. Either people had done it before, or they did as Evie had and Googled it about two hours ago. She winked and fingergunned at Candace when all the Omegas were told to go to their assigned table. Candace gulped, but dredged up a tiny, fleeting smile in response.

A body moved up to stand next to Evie and she glanced over in surprise. A male Alpha about the same height as herself, slender and narrow where she was curvy and a little heavy, posture slouched and easy where hers was jittery and fidgety, was smirking over at her. It wasn’t one of those smug, holier-than-thou-I-be-Douche™ smirks, though. It looked… teasing and lazy and… almost  _mischievous_. Like he was one code word away from pulling a prank and somehow managing to get away with it. His hands were shoved deep in his khaki pockets (they weren’t even very nice khakis, strangely) and his feet were shoved into flipflops with  _socks_. Even his sweatshirt looked washed too often and baggy, the logo across the front long faded and the neckline pulled too loose.

Evie decided immediately she’d like this one and she grinned at him.

“Can I help you, broseph? Or are you here for the view?” Evie quipped, rocking on her heels. That smirk widened into a real smile and his green eyes glittered under the droop of his lashes.

“I’m just a bit confused.”

Evie rolled her eyes. “What’s a Beta like me doing in a place like this?” she drawled with an appalling Southern belle accent (she never could do a cowboy one right).

He chuckled under his breath, but shook his head. “Good question, but not the important one.”

Her eyebrows jumped up high, perplexed and intrigued at once. “What’s the important one?”

“What’s a Beta doing with her Mate in a place like this?”

“Mate?  _Oh_ , oh, wow, this almost never happens,” Evie barked a laugh and rubbed the back of her neck. “It never crosses people’s minds, I guess. But, yeah, no, me ‘n Candy aren’t Mates. We’re both single, that’s kinda why we’re  _here_.” She gestured around them with her hand.

Something crossed his face then. Something she couldn’t quite read… but it looked like…  _interest_. As if something had sharpened his hazy, half-lidded gaze and cut her down to the quick. Cut the air right out of her and had her mouth dropping open to suck in a startled intake of breath.

His scent tasted like the ocean on her tongue.

The bell rang before he could speak again and all the Alphas jostled and pushed them towards the tables, breaking them apart in the process. Evie fell into a chair feeling gut-punched and…  _needy_. It took all her willpower to look at the Omega male in front of her and twitch her mouth into a parody of a smile. Thankfully, this guy didn’t seem to care she was a Beta and merely smiled back pleasantly. He held out a hand, wrist sorta… limp… and hand just hanging there.

“Hello, pleased to meet you. I’m Julius Rosens.”

Evie fumbled, but got his hand into a real handshake. “Hey, I’m Evie, well,  _Evelyn_. My friends call me Evie.” His pretty ruby-eyes crinkled at the corners and an amused smile took over the polite façade.

“Evelyn is a lovely name. But Evie suits you just as well,” he said, the words flirtatious but the tone… just friendly. The weird, unsettled feeling his hand on hers had caused eased away. She felt like a cat being soothed by cautious petting.

She licked her lips awkwardly and glanced to the table top. “Uh, thanks, I guess? I dunno what you really mean by that, though.”

“You’re direct, friendly, and cute. Evie suits a lady like that,” Julius explained with a sly wink. Evie spluttered and blushed, which only made him chortle quietly.

“I’m not really- um, lady doesn’t suit me. I’m just… Evie,” she argued with a one-armed shrug.

Julius touched his fingers to his perfectly glossed lips pensively. “You’re not here for a date with me, are you?”

Evie sighed softly. “No, not at all.” She sat up quickly, blinking rapidly as embarrassment warred with guilt. “Not that you’re not a great catch! You’re probably one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met! I wish I knew you an hour ago to help with my eyeliner, ‘cuz that wing-tip is  _on point_.”

Julius laughed gaily, the sound bubbling out of him like champagne. Evie slunk down in her chair, red to her hairline and feeling more sympathy with Candace than she’d had in her entire life.

“That’s very kind. I don’t think this style will quite fit your structure, or your image. You’re too… Let’s just say I can tell you don’t condition that lovely hair enough, or use moisturizer on that cute face of yours. Wingtips and careful blending are quite beyond your style,” Julius observed with a critical ruby eye looking her up and down.

And hitting the nail on the head, too. Evie huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

“I can look good with help. Luna manages it every now and then,” she muttered sulkily.

Julius chuckled again. “There’s nothing wrong with your careless, girl-next-door look. It’s very  _in_.” Evie side-eyed him with a suspicious squint. But he wasn’t even paying attention, his eyes glancing over the people around them and his face thoughtful again. He turned back to her with a mysteriously opaque expression. “I have a proposition for you…?” he started slowly.

Evie’s eyebrows jumped up high. “You’re gonna call me a ‘plain-Jane’ in one breath and proposition me in the next? Dude, are you delusional?”

Julius actually tossed back his head to laugh. The dangling heart earrings flashed and his pretty purple-pink-blue-green hair slipped over his shaking shoulders to swing behind his back.

“No, not that kind,” Julius finally managed to reply, swiping under his eye with an elegant finger. He leaned forward and Evie copied him, curious despite herself. “You see, I’m… not so attracted to Alphas,” he murmured with a slight grimace. Evie blinked at him, stumped.

“Then… why are you here?”

Julius sighed softly. “Because I had no idea they were going to separate Omegas and Alphas like this. How…  _dated_.”

Evie felt herself nodding with him without realizing it. She caught herself, but couldn’t help but still agree with him internally. “It is… ‘traditional’,” she murmured back, using her fingers to finger-quote like a nineties kid.

“How would you feel about a little… switcharoo,” he suggested with a smirk and a twirl of his finger. Evie snorted behind her fist and scoffed.

“You really think we can get away with that? They’ll definitely figure it out. Especially with the  _name cards_ ,” she pointed out, gesturing between their chests. Julius managed to roll his eyes without actually rolling his eyes. It was probably the most ridiculously suave thing she’d ever seen.

“They aren’t stapled onto the clothes. We’ll just switch.  _Eev-lin_  is a male name,” Julius retorted easily.

“And Julius?”

“Say it’s your surname.”

Julius and Evelyn stared at each other. One was expectant and smug, and the other assessing. For a flash of a second, the taste and scent of ocean came back to her. The gold border on Julius’ name card mocked her, just a stupid colored line that would prevent her from coming across that strange and serene-faced Alpha she’d met earlier. An Alpha currently in the process of meeting every other Omega in the room. Her skin itched at the thought, hair rising like hackles on an edgy cat. 

“Yeah, screw it,” Evie blurted, heart racing and mouth dry. “Let’s do it.”

The grin that crossed Julius’ face was excited and triumphant. “That’s the spirit, Evelyn.” She reached to pull off the sticker, but he leaned over to smack her hand. “Not  _now_. When everyone switches tables. It’s a good thing this is the first round. It’d be harder if I’d had to wait.”

Evie squinted at him yet again. “You planned to switch, didn’t you?”

That sly wink returned. “The moment I saw the color coding scheme in progress, of course I did. I wanted my friend to switch with me right away, but he was already annoyed that I’d dragged him here at all.” Julius sighed a longsuffering exhale and pressed a hand to his cheek. “Coming in that  _awful_  outfit wasn’t punishment enough, I suppose.”

Her heartbeat picked up. “He wouldn’t have had the socks with-”

“With the sandals, yes. Absolutely ghastly.” Julius actually shuddered. “His excuse?  _It’s cold outside_. Why not just wear  _real shoes_?”

Evie ducked her head and barely stifled her giggles with her hand. “I’m surprised they actually let him stay. He didn’t look like he put in  _any_ effort.”

“I can say with certainty that he  _did not_. Maybe Toby would care more about the dating scene if he could catch an Omega with a fishing pole. Alas,” Julius held up a hand to wave it despairingly.

The giggles abruptly broke off when  _Omega_ left Julius’s mouth. Of course he’d like Omegas. He was an Alpha. Strange and serene and passive as he seemed, under that drawling voice and bad fashion sense, he still flashed red eyes. Evie clutched at the dark brown and yellow-dotted wool tunic over her chest.  _What was wrong with her_? She shouldn’t feel so… gut-punched by it. But her vision was tinted blue and her hand was curling into the dark blue pleats of her short skirt over the dark yellow stockings she wore. She had to actively will her hands to loosen or risk tearing through the heavy winter layers with just her fingernails.

“…velyn?  _Evelyn_?”

She jerked her head up, blushing slightly and her breath a little wheezy. “S-Sorry. I just spaced out a bit. I do that,” Evie hurriedly hedged, rubbing the back of her neck and laughing awkwardly. Julius’s perfectly groomed eyebrow rose, but he seemed to believe her.

The bell ringing to switch was really her only saving grace, though, preventing him from following up with another question. They rose, Evie’s knees banging into the bottom of the table as she did so. He was quick to wrap an arm around her shoulders and hold her up. It was a little  _too_  much, as she hadn’t even  _really_  stumbled. It made sense when she realized she’d somehow ended up on his side of the table and his name card was already held out to her, the proffered hand hidden by the curve of their bodies.

“Better make it quick if you’re sure, Evelyn,” Julius whispered with a smile. Evie bit her lip, then ripped off her sticker.

“Definitely sure.”

They switched and discreetly slapped the new cards on. His hand squeezed hers as he slipped past her to move on to the next table. Evie slowly sunk into his chair, careful not to look around or draw attention to herself. She barely caught sight of him sitting in the next seat- the flash of mauve blazer and purple hair in the corner of her eye. Until her attention was caught by the Alpha suddenly in the seat she’d just vacated. She looked at her in confusion and Evie pasted on a bright smile. Luckily, common curtesy kept the woman from sniffing to gauge whether or not Evie was supposed to be in her seat at all.

“Hey, 'm Evelyn. I- uhm, accidentally wrote my last name. Nice to meet you,” Evie greeted, too naturally tilting her head to bare her throat slightly. The Alpha immediately relaxed at the gesture and appreciation lit up her naturally brown eyes.

“Believe it or not, I’m Jocelyn.”

They both shared a laugh.

The next few turns of the speed-dating weren’t quite as nice as the first Alpha she met. One of them made it immediately obvious he was an Alpha-rightist as he took complete control of the conversation, went on a long-winded rant about the proper place of Omegas and Alphas, and it was a good thing she knew it already, and- Evie had started ringing the bell at the table about two sentences in and refused to let him talk after that. Just kept ringing the bell every time he opened his mouth until he was red-faced and furious as she smiled sweetly. Candace was several seats in the opposite direction of the moving line, so hopefully this guy would be Candace’s last or almost last. The next Alpha ended up being a doctor, who thought her biology degree meant she knew more about Omegas then  _Omegas_  did. During the listing of the several physical traits- like Evie's  _broad, birthing hips_ \- that marked her as a prime example of a classic Omega, Evie looked the Alpha dead in the eye and stated ‘I’m a Beta’. They spent the rest of the five minutes in silence, the Alpha looking humiliated and pissed. 

The next Alpha wasn’t so bad, just… bland. No chemistry. She waved off the man with a pleasant little smile and missed the next person taking the seat.

“It seems to me you’re on the wrong side of the table,” observed a wry  _familiar_  voice.

Evie turned to gape slack-jawed at the ocean-scented Alpha sitting across from her. “Seems right to me,” she blurted, promptly looking horrified and descending into an abrupt, tongue-tied silence while the Alpha-  _Toby_ \- chortled.

“How’d you manage to-” his eyes fell to her sticker and he broke off with a rueful shake of his head. “Of course. Julius.”

“Yeah, uhm, he mentioned you, too. And your bad fashion sense. I knew it had to be you,” Evie forced out, mouth tipping up lopsidedly.

“What, is it the socks? Because it’s just  _sensible_ ,” Toby argued, eyes glittering their mischief.

Evie propped her chin on her fist. “Oh, really? How so? Just wear  _sneakers_  if it’s cold.”

Toby leaned forward, arms crossed over the top of the table. “And imprison my poor toes? The socks are bad enough.”

Evie ducked her head to laugh, fist covering her mouth.

“I’m Toby Mizumitsu,” he introduced himself at last, holding out a hand to shake. Evie grinned crookedly and shook firmly.

“Evelyn Tallesin-Fuentes.”

“Fuentes. Explains that accent,” he noted with interest. Evie rolled her eyes.

“I do  _not_. My mom is Latina, but I was born and raised here.”

“Still have an accent.”

“You said my name totally wrong,” Evie grumbled. Toby only laughed.

Somehow five minutes felt like five seconds, and the bell ringing, just as Toby managed to talk her into going off onto her rant of favorite underrated sci-fi shows, had her jerking upright and gaping around them. She had actually almost forgotten where she was. The next Alpha was making her way to Toby’s chair, but he didn’t even bother standing, just smiled lazily up at her.

“If it’s all right with you, I think I’ll stay here another round,” he told the stranger. The woman stared at him, baffled.

“That’s not how it works-” she started.

Evie shook herself awake to quickly interrupt, blue eyes flashing up at the Alpha. “If it helps, I’m probably not who you want to talk to tonight,” she said a little self-deprecatingly.

The Alpha female tilted her head to the side and then shrugged. “Have fun.” 

That would've been embarrassing how easily she had backed down if the person staying in the seat wasn't so appealing. Toby and Evie watched the Alpha move onto Evie’s neighbor before looking back at each other. Evie’s eyebrows rose awkwardly in question. “Why did you do that?” she asked in confusion. 

Toby raised an eyebrow- much more elegantly than she could ever pull off- and shook his head. “I came here against my will for a friend, but I’m determined to make the best of it.”

Evie flushed brightly, hands on her thighs and gripping her skirt tightly. “I’m… the best of it?”

“Best conversation I’ve had all night. Except for maybe your not-Mate,” Toby joked softly, jerking his head back the way he’d come, where Candace sat. Evie felt her stomach twist, hot and sick and leaden. “She mentioned you two live together.”

“Uh, yeah. For a couple years now,” Evie muttered, eyes dropping to the table. “We’ve known each other since college.”

“Yes, she said. You studied Classics?”

Evie tried not to bite her lip. Now he was being kind again. As if she didn’t know what was going on. Honestly, she couldn’t blame him. Candace was so great. And… of anyone at this place she’d met so far, he was probably the best of the lot. He was easygoing, laid-back, and kind. Perfect for Candy. It was common sense, really. She shouldn’t be upset that they’d actually managed to do it: find an Alpha that wouldn’t totally wrack Candace’s nerves. 

So why did she feel so sick?

She pasted on a smile and focused her eyes somewhere around his left ear. “Yup! I’m working on a Master’s now. Candy, though, she has an online business. She makes all the clothes on it and her sister runs the finances and advertising. She does a lot of amazing custom orders.”

“…that’s really great for her. Do you help her with it?” he asked, sounding a little puzzled.

For ten more minutes (three rounds in all), Toby refused to leave the table and they tossed questions and answers back and forth. For almost every question he asked, Evie expertly re-routed the topic back to Candace, only a few times going off track too long about herself when he’d so diplomatically feigned interest in some of her half answers. The fourth round of Toby staying in his chair started silently, him sitting across from her, arms crossed over his chest, and actually frowning.

“What? Is something wrong?” Evie asked in some concern. Toby frowned a little harder.

“I’m… not sure.”

It was Evie’s turn to frown in confusion. “What is that-”

The sound of a bell dropping to the floor cut her off, the loud, ear-splitting clanging making every Alpha in the room flinch and Evie turn towards the sound. Down the room, Candace was stumbling to her feet, a concerned and guilt-stricken Julius across from her and half out of his own seat. Evie shoved onto her feet, hands on the table, ready to snarl protectively at Candace’s pale features.

“What did your friend  _say_  to her?” Evie hissed at Toby, who looked just as baffled as she. Without waiting for an answer, she hurried across the room towards a frantically stuttering and apologizing Candace and irritated-looking mediator.

“I h-have t-to g-g-go now,” Candace babbled.

Julius stepped up, eyes tightening at the corners when Candace scuttled away from him. She thumped into Evie’s chest, squeaked in shock, and spun around to see Evie there. Gasping in relief, Candace clutched Evie’s arm and ducked her head.

“What’s going on here?!” Evie snapped at the mediator and Julius.

“I think  _I_  should be asking that! What in the world is an Omega doing with an Alpha sticker, and you- Beta, with  _his_  name sticker? This doesn’t work if you just play willy-nilly with the rules!”

“Stuff it, dipstick!"

"Breaking the rules didn’t cause the ruckus,” Toby interrupted as he came up from behind Evie before the mediator could retort, his face burning in rage.

“It was completely my fault. I… pushed my nose in where it didn’t belong,” Julius explained, his eyes on Candace’s downturned head.

Candace merely shook her head silently and tightened her grip on Evie’s arm. “I w-want to go.”

Evie nodded, extracting her arm just to wrap it around Candace’s shoulders. “Yeah, let’s go. This was a stupid idea, anyway.”

The mediator grumbled angrily. “Fine! Just go before you ruin anything else. You two, too. I never should’ve let you in. I knew you’d be trouble,” he grumbled before stomping away.

Evie snorted softly and led Candace away. The two men followed close behind, arguing fiercely and quietly. Too bad she hadn’t had a chance to give Toby Candace’s phone number. He’d seemed so nice… Evie tightened her arm around her friend’s shoulder to keep the hot bile down that scraped at the back of her throat. When Candace was safely in the car, and Evie walking around back to get to her side, Toby suddenly rushed around the other side of the next car. She squeaked and backpedaled even as her eyes scanned for Julius.

"Evelyn! Are you- I thought you'd heard me coming!"

“Where is he?” she demanded shortly. Toby sighed softly, mouth twisted to the side wryly.

“At his car,” Toby assured her. Her shoulders slumped in relief before she scowled at him.

“What do you want?”

Toby ducked his head and rubbed the back of his head. “I know it’s bad timing, but I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t-” he trailed off and held out a piece of paper. It looked ripped out of a car manual, a number scrawled almost illegibly under the print.

“Oh… oh of course,” Evie said dully. She missed the disappointed and baffled look on his face. “I’ll make sure she gets it when she’s calmer.”

“Wait, what?”

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. If, you know, you promise not to bring along your friend next time,” Evie added, eyes strained around the edges as she attempted a smile at him. His mouth hung open as he stared at her. She saluted him awkwardly, paper held between her two fingers, then made her way towards the driver’s seat. “See you around, Tobes.”

“Wait, I don’t think-”

“I really have to go. Candy needs to get home,” she interrupted thickly. She yanked open the door and slid into her seat, slamming the door shut. Candace jerked her head up, eyes red as she sniffled.

“Evie? Are you okay?” she whispered.

Evie turned to her with the kindest, warmest smile she could conjure up. “Of course, Candy. Let’s worry about you. Tell me what happened and we’ll drink our weight in hot cocoa when we get home.”

Candace sniffled, hesitating, and then slowly nodded. “I told you… about the boy who teased me as a little girl?” she started. Evie put the car in reverse, turning to squint out the rear window. Toby's back was already heading away, his hand dragging through his hair.

Evie put all her focus on Candace's voice and listened attentively the whole way home.

 

Candace and Evie sat snuggled under the nicest quilt in the house, cups of cocoa steaming in their hands and their go-to feel-good movie,  _Castle in the Sky_ , playing on the TV. Evie was still fuming a little over Candace’s story, how blasé Julius had been about their past, the bullying he'd had waved away with some stupid excuses, when he’d sat at their table. Some overdramatic apology when Candace had tried to change the subject, his insensitive way of asking about her stutter- something she'd worked so hard to control. Pazu and Sheeta landed on Laputa, and Evie eyed Candace out the corner of her eye. She looked  _tired_  and pale, and her eyes were still a little puffy and bloodshot.

“I’m sorry I ruined your idea. I thought it was really great,” Candace muttered, finger tracing the rim.

Evie’s jaw dropped. “What?! Of course you didn’t! That whole speed dating thing was to help  _you_ , not  _me_. I’m just sorry I switched with Julius. If I hadn’t, I would’ve been across from you and maybe you would’ve gotten a nice date with someone else.”

Candace shrugged. “I didn’t really hit it off with anyone. The only good conversation I had was with that Mizumitsu man. The one with the socks and sandals. But he was obviously-”

“Oh! Wow, I totally forgot!” Evie interrupted, not wanting to hear what Toby 'obviously' was. Not when she felt like such a lying snake, because of course she hadn’t  _forgotten_. The little piece of paper had been burning a hole in her pocket the entire time. Slowly, hand feeling numb and arm heavy, Evie fished the phone number out and held it out to Candace with a bright smile on her face. “He gave me this. For you. Whatever you thought, he liked you. Give him a call.”

Candace stared at her, at the paper, then back to Evie’s face. “Maybe he gave it to you…  _for you_ , Evie?” she suggested hesitantly. Evie pffted and flapped her hand at Candace, paper fluttering between her fingertips.

“Ha, yeah right. Anyway, we went there to get you a date, and the only halfway decent guy we met was Toby.” She didn’t even notice her slip, saying his first name, but Candace’s eyes widened slightly. “I’m not going to snatch the only decent catch away from you. Call him, or text him, I know how you are about calls. …if him knowing Julius is a problem, though… you could just throw it away,” she forced out past a too-dry throat and tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth.

Candace gently plucked the paper from Evie’s hand. “Sometimes, I have no idea what’s going through your head, Evie,” she observed with a slight sigh. Evie laughed awkwardly.

“Yeah, yeah, now pay attention. They’re about to get separated and the fun part starts,” Evie said, nudging Candace’s shoulder with her own and turning back to the movie and cocoa.

 

Valentine’s Day.

It wasn’t as though Evie had had dates for Valentine’s Day  _often_  in the past. Normally, she pigged out on chocolate with Candy, or even their friend Renee from Candace’s hometown. But Renee had come to town with her  _girlfriend_  and some friends in tow, so instead of a chill night in, Evie was supposed to go out and pretend to make merry with people she barely knew. Though, Luke was supposed to be among them and she’d met him once before. He’d been pretty cool. They still texted each other stupid memes and weird shit they saw day to day occasionally.

She made her way up the stairs to her apartment, only to almost be bowled over by none other than…  _Candace_? A flushed and flustered and widely smiling Candace, who was grasping Evie’s arms and almost shaking with nerves and excitement.

“You’re early! I’m so glad I heard your clunker car-”

“Candace! That’s so rude?!” Evie gasped, laughing and bewildered at Candace’s lack of tact.

Candace blushed cherry-red and shook her head briskly. “Not important. Why are you early!?”

“Early? I’m, like, ten minutes early at most. Don’t you remember we’re going out tonight? I left a bit early to jumpstart getting ready.”

Candace bit her lip, eyes darting to their door, and back to Evie. “I guess it’ll be all right. Oh, I hope I didn’t overstep, but he seemed so earnest! You call me immediately if anything goes wrong, okay?”

“Wait, what? Are you  _leaving_? Who is  _he_?” Evie exclaimed when she caught sight of Candace’s purse and usual going-out outfit on; a pretty blue woolen sweater-dress that fell to her knees and black stockings. For some reason, a bright red and yellow headband with a weird zigzag-y design on it was nestled amongst her extra wavy hair. “Why are you dressed up like you’re going on a date?”

Horror struck Evie between the eyes- the phone number that had been haunting her flashing in her mind’s eye. But Candace merely sputtered and shook her head wildly.

“No! No, of course I’m not! I’m meeting up with the others. You just… go on! Get in there!” Candace urged, actually  _pushing_  Evie towards the door. She left Evie at the doorstep and hurried to the stairs. “Have fun!”

Evie walked into the apartment, dubious and bewildered. She’d never seen Candace look so excited  _without_  Evie being in the know. She’d never kept secrets from  _Evie_. From anyone, really, but especially not Evie. She pushed the door shut, nose raised high as the scent of tomatoes and seafood wafted through the air. Her stomach rumbled even as her chest constricted painfully. The scent of seafood reminded her too much of the sea,  _obviously_ , and the sea reminded her of-

She froze, eyes widening at the impossible sight in front of her.

Silver-haired and lean, wearing a familiar pair of khakis, but this time paired with a nice button-up shirt (though left untucked and sleeves rolled up high above his elbows), Toby Mizumitsu walked out of her kitchen holding a wooden spoon covered in tomato sauce and wearing Candace’s pink flowery apron. An amused smirk curved up one side of his mouth.

“I wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep the surprise. Color me impressed,” he drawled, crossed his arms over his chest and completely missing the drip of sauce from the spoon to the linoleum floor at the motion.

“Wh-Wha-  _How_? I thought she threw that number away!” Evie squeaked, both hands covering her mouth and cheeks flushing. The blush burned all the way to her toes at the single, sardonic arch of an eyebrow. “N-Not that I d-didn’t-... I d-didn’t ask her to! She d-didn’t s-say anything about it! I j-just assumed!” she hurried to explained.

“Well, no, she didn’t  _throw it_   _away_. She, unlike someone in this room, knew exactly who that number was for,” Toby replied easily. He slowly set the spoon down on the breakfast bar that separated the kitchenette from the living room, pulled off the apron and lay it over the bar as well. With that done, he began to saunter his way towards her, hands shoved in his pockets and lips still quirked up.

Evie, however, was too mindblown, gaping like a landed, waterless fish, to react in kind. “She- When?!” she gasped at last. She squeaked in shock when she abruptly noticed just how close he was.

“From what I understood, within a few hours of you handing it over.”

Evie barely managed to clap a hand over her face before she snorted loud and undignified. Instead of looking disgusted, Toby merely grinned wider, teeth flashing as he rocked back and forth on his heels. He looked almost… unsure, despite the grin.

“Your friend is a pretty, sweet, and kind Omega. Anyone, Alpha, Beta, or Omega, would be lucky to be with her. But that  _won’t_ be me.” A pensive frown crossed his serene features. “I don’t know why it was so hard for you to believe, but I was only ever interested in you.”

The hands over her mouth shook. He looked so… _unashamed_. Nothing shy or facetious about him at all. Just a serious, steady, green-eyed gaze over slightly flushed cheeks. The moment lingered a little too long, and his eyes darted away, the bright green hidden and his smile slowly melting away. Watching him close down and his shoulders tighten up defensively had her desperately reaching out to clutch his arms. The fabric of his pretty blue shirt- it somehow made his pale hair gleam even brighter- twisted under her fingers. Startled, he immediately glanced back. Whatever he saw on her face had him blinking owlishly, and his shoulders slumped as the tension seeped out of him.

“Me, too,” Evie blurted. Her nose scrunched up slightly with her embarrassed lopsided grin. It grew when Toby’s smile slowly reappeared. “I’ve been interested in you this whole time. But I just thought… I went there for  _Candy_. And you were the only person there worth a damn. Then, you asked a question about her and it just… it just seemed to make so much more sense you were just one more Alpha hoping to get to know  _her_  better,” Evie confessed sheepishly.

“Let’s ignore the part where you didn’t bother to listen to me trying to ask about  _you_ ,” Evie winced and dropped her hands away. Her breath caught when he quickly clasped her hands in his. Toby added gently while pulling her closer, “And focus on the part where you complimented me instead.”

“I can do that,” Evie whispered. Their noses brushed, hands clasped between their chests. Her eyes fluttered shut as he brushed the tip of his nose over her cheek, down to her throat where her pulse beat thready and swift.

The scent of  _Alpha_  and  _ocean_  and… spaghetti? had her knees weakening. She had no idea why it had her turning into a pile of Jello. Those scents all mixed together should be  _terrible_. But she wanted to wrap herself around him and bury herself in the scent of him until she’d never forget it. She wanted it soaked into her sheets and mixing with her own until she could no longer tell them part. She wanted Toby in her house, wearing an apron and filling her home with the smell of  _home_  and  _them_. Just the warm rush of breath over her neck had goosebumps pebbling her skin all over, hair rising and shivers running down her spine, even though she felt too hot in her skin. Was this what a heat or rut felt like? Feeling completely and totally undone just by his hands holding hers, his scent flooding her senses, and the sound of his heart beating in time with hers?

When he moved back a step, she swayed forward feeling drunk and cold. Sluggishly blinking open her eyes, she caught sight of his and the heat sliced through her like a knife. Because his pupils were blown so wide, the green was just a thin ring around the edges. His cheeks were as red as her own, sweat beading his upper lip. He drew in a shaky breath and licked his lips and she didn’t know what she was more jealous of: his tongue tasting his lips, or his lips feeling the swipe of his tongue.

“I made some pasta. Candace said you liked seafood just fine, so-”

Evie grabbed his shirt- this time right over his chest- and yanked him back to her. An astonished breath was knocked out of him and his hands fell to her hips as he tottered on unbalanced feet. Their noses brushed again before she pressed so close the only bit of space between them was created by her arms pinned between their torsos.

“Is it gonna burn if you leave it?” she demanded, voice low and husky.

He shook his head. “I put it on simmer and the noodles haven’t been cooked yet.”

Evie smiled beatifically. Or maybe wickedly. She couldn’t see her own expression, but she saw  _his_. The way she could make his lazy, half-lidded gaze go wide went straight to her head.

“I spent the last week telling myself I didn’t have the right to be with you. Trying my best not to even  _think_ about you. I want to spend the next week proving me wrong. Starting right  _now_ ,” Evie told him firmly, leaning in to brush her lips a hair’s breadth away from his. His eyes flashed red and she knew hers flashed back in response even as the coil deep in her belly twisted up tight and hot.

“I can… I can definitely do that,” he agreed, gaze flitting down to her mouth.

_Permission granted._

Evie surged forward, hands releasing his shirt so she could sink them into his thick, short hair and crush their mouths together. She could feel the rumble deep in his chest against hers proceeding his tight embrace around her waist. His hands were Alpha-hot through her thick sweater, smoothing up and down the curve of her spine languidly. She whined against his mouth, eyes squeezing tight and mouth slanting under his. But he kissed like he touched, deliberate and unhurried, slowing down her fast-paced need into something drugged and indolent. They bumped foreheads when he pulled away, mouths red and bruised.

“Are you after the third date kinda guy?” Evie gasped, disappointment laced through with humor. It was nice, really, but definitely not what she wanted  _now_.

Toby pressed a kiss to the corner of her eye, then to her cheek, then to her throat, where he'd pressed his nose earlier. She tipped her head to the side, ignoring the shaking of her legs and sighing softly at the blunt edge of his teeth nipping at her pulse point.

“I can be persuaded,” he murmured against her skin.

Evie blinked at the wall. Then, grinned wide and pulled back. The noise of confused discontent- like an irritated cat, actually- had her laughing. She snatched his hand and tugged him down the hallway. He caught on quickly, chuckling and hurrying up behind her. His hand not caught by hers wrapped around her waist, sliding up her stomach to stop just below her breasts even as he crowded close to kiss at her neck and ear. Laughing more and stumbling over their feet, Evie shoved through her door and dragged him in with her. She spun in his arm, hands flying to his shirt to struggle with buttons while his hands tugged up the hem of her shirt.

“Sure this isn’t too fast?” she asked, kissing at his bared collarbones and shuddering at his hands finding her skin under the layers of shirts.

“Probably,” Toby muttered, tugging her into the curve of his body. “Do you care?”

Evie met his eyes. Despite the frantic beating of their hearts, he looked serious. Ready to pull away at a moment’s notice.

“No. Not a bit,” Evie said without even a small waver to her voice. “Do you?”

Toby’s thumb brushed the corner of her lips. “I can’t seem to make myself.”

Their mouths connected, open and eager. It was a fumbled, desperate mess of moving lips and gasping breaths. His tongue swiped over her bottom lip, just for her to catch it lightly between her lips and suck. His hands tightened on the curves of her hips, and her fingers tugged at his buttons while their tongues learned the shape and taste of the other's mouth. When his last button finally pulled free, they parted just long enough to tear off their shirts and toss them aside uncaringly. Only to collide again as though starving for touch. Hooking her fingers through his belt-loops, Evie tugged him to the bed. Her knees hit first and they crashed down, laughing as they bounced lightly and knocked the breath out of each other.

“Graceful,” Toby teased, rolling onto his back, her following to kneel over him. She grinned shamelessly.

“You’ll get used to me,” she promised as she set her hands on his chest. He wasn’t particularly muscled- just lean and smooth and a little tanner than she’d expected. He wasn’t as dark as her own natural skin tone, though, and she liked the look of her hands stroking down his chest to his stomach, watching the muscles clench and flinch at the light touch.

Toby’s hands lay over her thighs. “Looking forward to that.” It pulled her out of her reverie and she stared at him uncomprehendingly. His lips- still looking bruised and puffy and making her own ache- quirked up on one side. “Getting used to you.”

The blush burned from her hairline to her collarbones. “Oh, grilled  _cheesus_ , you’re a  _sap_.”

He laughed under her, body shaking and hands tightening on her thighs. “Is it a problem?”

She leaned over him, her hair just long enough to fall around their faces like a curtain, tickling their chins and cheeks. “Such a problem. If you call it making love, I’ll kick you out, Alpha.”

His eyes flashed red and his hips moved  _up_ , making her gasp and grind  _down_  to chase the sensation. They both groaned, the banter forgotten. His hands slipped under the waistband of her leggings, cupping her ass and kneading. Evie groaned again, hips grinding a little harder at the pressure of his hands.

“No poems?” Toby questioned around a gasp. Evie’s puzzled reply was lost in a moan when he leaned up and pressed his mouth to her throat, biting just hard enough to tease pain, but not quite. “No long eye contact? Or slow dancing to radio dedications?”

“Stop asking stupid questions and bite me properly,” Evie sputtered, trying to sound snarky. She just sounded breathless. His chuckle against her marked flesh branded her as surely as his teeth.

“I need to know boundaries,” he replied cheekily. One hand sipped lower, cupping the back of her thigh, but the other hand traveled up. Up to the strap of her bra across her back.

With a grunt, Evie sat up and undid the bra herself. She tossed it aside with a disgusted frown. When she looked back down, Toby was biting down on his lip to keep the laughter in. “Taking off my bra one-handed would be cool and all, but takes forever,” she told him snootily. She set her hands to the button on his khakis. “Do you mind?”

“Not a bit. I have non-lovemaking to do,” he said agreeably, sitting up.

Evie huffed, “That isn’t funny. It’s  _cheesy_  and trashy, mommy-erotica wording.”

“Mmhm,” Toby hummed, his hand smoothing up and down her back. He kissed her collarbone, his tongue peeking out to trace along the line of it.

It was distracting as hell, but she got the khakis undone and shoved at them, heart racing and stuck high in her throat. Especially when he managed to arch his hips, stomach muscles flexing, helping her push the khakis down. The moment the khakis fell to the ground, Toby grasped her shoulders and rolled them over, startling a laugh out of her, hair fanning out over the sheets and her face. She puffed the hair away, opening her mouth to make a joke, only freeze as his breath trailed down her chest, lips brushing so lightly over the curve of her breast it tickled and sent shivers up her spine. Her fingers combed her hair back from her face, mouth parted for small gasps of breath. Her whole body felt on fire, but the hottest parts of her were where his hands stroked up and down her sides, thumbs tracing the sides of her breasts and the extra curves over her hips. All while he took  _his damn time_  brushing kisses over her breast, tongue barely flicking around her peaked nipple.

“ _Toby_ ,” Evie gasped, one hand twining into his hair and the other tugging her own, trying fervently to keep her rougher tendencies to herself.

His hands slipped along the line of her leggings, snapping the elastic of her cotton panties and making her bark out a surprised guffaw. Only to break off into a relieved moan as his tongue finally laved over her nipple. One leg hooked over his hip, socked foot pressing into his butt as she rocked up, desperate for friction as Toby sucked hard enough for her back to arch and press her breast into his mouth for  _more_. He took his time, tugging lightly with his teeth and licking softly to soothe the shock. The slow push of her leggings over her hips went by almost unnoticed, until his hands were smoothing down her bare thighs and dragging her pants along with the movement. She arched up her hips and wiggled to get them over the curve of her butt, making him laugh against her sensitive skin.

“Wait, do that again,” he teased, looking up at her with glittering eyes. Evie groaned and turned her face into the pillow, fighting a grin and a blush at the same time.

“Shut up and get them  _off_. And stop with the teasing. Frakkin’  _hell_ ,” she exclaimed, kicking at his thigh ineffectively now that her leggings were pulled too low and restricting. He placed his mouth to the smooth, soft globe of her untouched breast, briefly sucking a light mark into the tanned skin. “ _Cheater_ ,” she gasped.

It took a bit more shimmying to get the leggings the rest of the way off, but finally only his boxers and her panties were left. And her socks. Stupid friggin’ socks. She toed at her socks, fingers clutching onto Toby’s shoulders, but his hands were sliding up her inner thighs, thumbs rubbing circles higher to where she felt too hot, but not close enough, all while his mouth toyed too lightly with her nipple, leaving it damp and pebbled by his breath; her whole body was on edge waiting for his mouth, his teeth,  _anything_. Her hips twisted, seeking out his hands, shuddering out an exhale as his thumbs slipped along the edge of her panties. She could  _feel_  the dampness seep out of her, the smell of him on her skin tipping her too far, too fast. He hummed against her, sounding almost amused and-  _not fair_. Why wasn’t he just as on edge, two seconds from flying apart?

Obviously she wasn’t pulling her own weight.

Her hands sank into his hair and she tugged him up, tired of waiting. He followed, with a bemused ‘ _wha-’_  that broke off when she rolled them over and slanted her mouth over his. The sudden motion had dislodged his hands disappointingly, but the line of his cock was pressed against the front of her panties and she moaned into his mouth, swallowing down the groan that answered hers. She pulled away from the kiss, sitting back on her heels and shaking her hair back. His hands gripped her hips as he looked up and she grinned down at him, a little sheepishly, before bracing her hands on his chest and rocking her hips.

“ _Oh my God,_  finally. You don’t get to lead,” Evie muttered with a satisfied sigh. He grinned lazily up at her, but his eyes were sharp and raking down her torso.

“I like where I ended up,” he replied, hands smoothing up her sides. She leaned forward, panting a little too fast and eyes fluttering shut as both hands cupped over her breasts, kneading gently and brushing thumbs over her nipples.

Leaning down lower, she pressed the tip of her nose to his throat and froze. Waiting. With a low curse that coiled her belly into burning knots, his chin tilted up and her heart raced. An Alpha. Baring his neck. To  _her_. Her eyes gleamed blue under the fan of her lashes and she licked at the pulse point on his throat, nuzzling and finally biting down and sucking hard to leave behind her mark.

Under her, against the aching wetness of her cunt, his dick  _twitched_  against her and made her grind down harder. Chasing the feeling of him pressing against her dripping hole.

“Ah, shit, condom. We need one  _now_ ,” Evie whined, pushing herself up just enough to nip at his ear and drag the lobe into her mouth. His hips jerked up and had her gasping and rocking down to meet him.

“Yeah, I just-” he broke off and huffed a laugh. His palms slid over her breasts and made her shudder at the roughness over her tightly-peaked nipples. “This is  _your_  house.”

“… fuck, you’re right,” Evie realized, pushing up onto her hands and staring down at him, embarrassed and flushed. His hands moved to her back and stroked down, petting her like a cat with calloused, warm hands. Scarlet was edged around the edges of his green eyes and her mouth ran dry at the sight.

“Do you have... the right kind?” he asked hesitantly, looking concerned and pained at once. Evie frowned and cocked her head to the side. Then, her eyes popped open wide.

“You wanna-  _with me_? I thought only ruts or Omegas triggered that,” she blurted in shock. He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth hard enough that the muscle jumped in his jaw.

“Better safe than sorry. I haven’t been this on edge outside a rut since I was a teen,” he forced out. If Evie were a lesser woman, she’d preen.

Okay, so she preened a bit while she leaned over towards her dresser. Inside were her usual condoms, mostly unused, but there was one unopened box she’d bought in a vain sort of hope. She almost ripped the top off and held up the condom triumphantly.

“Gotcha! Oh… should I get lube, too, then?”

Toby nodded in obvious relief. Evie dropped the condom on Toby’s chest, laughing at his startled grunt, and dug through the drawer again. When she held up the lube, Toby reached up to take it. “I’ll handle that.”

Evie flushed to her hairline and nodded once. Then, glanced down at their underwear. “Those should go.”

“Not-Not mine. Not yet,” Toby disagreed, but he eyed her simple cotton bikini panties with white and purple stripes and snapped the elastic lightly. “Those, yes.”

Evie pffted and rolled off of him to shimmy out of them, kicking them off to the side. There was just a second to feel  _naked_ , before his arm snaked around her waist and rolled her back towards him, chest to chest and on their sides. She swallowed hard, not used to so much light and eye contact during something so intimate.  But his hand trailed down the rounded edge of her face, the line of her throat when she tipped her chin up, the ball of her shoulder, and the curves of her breast and belly and hips, to grasp her thigh. Her hands braced on his chest, eyes flicking down to the obscene, darkened tent of his boxers, then back up to his face. Following his lead, she lifted her thigh to lie over his hip, and closed her eyes bashfully when he slipped his hand between them.

Like a plucked string, her body arched and shuddered at the first gentle pass of his fingers over the wet curls. She slipped her arm around his neck and tucked her face against his throat, nipping at the mark she'd made before gasping when his fingers traced the slippery lips of her pussy, finding her clit when she whimpered and dug nails into his shoulder.

“I’m right here. Relax,” he breathed into her hair.

She barely  _knew_  him, but it was like her biology was wired to his. The soothing, grumbling timbre of his voice soothing every wracked nerve and melting her into his hand and body. The scent of ocean and brine had her head swimming, and she nodded, mouth open to  _taste_  the scent of him. And then he was rubbing against her clit, softly and arrhythmically, in circles and up and down and flicking hard enough to make her body jerk, her hips trying to move with his hand but just a beat behind. She clutched at him, sobbing out  _yes_  at every pass of his fingers, rocking faster than his hand, sensitive nipples rubbing against his chest with every heavy gasp.

“Toby,  _Toby_ , please, I need you in me,” she gasped out, shaking like a leaf and inner thighs already soaked.  

“I know, just a little more, Evvy,” he murmured, lips brushing over her forehead and slowly down her cheek.

She shook her head, barely noticing his mouth travelling down the side of her neck, nipping gently and still moving down. All her focus on his two slow fingers, toying with the small bundle of nerves of her sex and making her body jerk feverishly against his hand. His damp mouth pressed to her bellybutton, tongue flicking into the deep dip of it, giggles bubbling out of her mouth between cracking, low-throated moans. His breath fanned over the plush, soft expanse of her belly, tickling and hot, and both her hands sank into his thick, silver hair.

“Tobes-Toby, stop  _playing_ ,” she whined, a grin on her bitten, puffy lips even as she spoke.

He hummed in response, nose brushing over the top of her thick thatch of hair. “Where’s the fun in that?”

His voice was octaves lower than usual, and rougher, as he moved even lower, shoulder nudging her leg up and over his back. Her eyes popped open, shocky with a disbelieving kind of anticipation. There was a sound that rumbled out from deep in his chest, shaking her down her bones. An Alpha sound that had her gritting her teeth so hard they creaked to keep from whimpering. His fingers spread her wide and suddenly his mouth was on her, the tip of his tongue flat against her clit. She all but screamed against the sheets, one hand gripping his hair and the other twisting the sheet tightly. He ate her out the same way he’d playing with her nipples, slowly and maddeningly, tongue sliding from bottom to top, sucking at her clit just enough to have to writhing against him. Pulling away to thrust his tongue deep into her. A mimicry of what she’d begged for, wetter and hotter than she’d imagined, the breathless cries of his name muffled by her hand over her mouth. She couldn’t help the movement of her hips, chasing after the slick, smooth friction of his tongue and lips. She had never felt this wet before, and the sounds of his mouth on her pussy had her flaming red and belly burning at once.

Just as she felt herself tottering towards release, no longer able to stop the sobs spilling from her throat, his fingers pressed in, two at once, with his tongue against her clit. She shouted his name and rocked hard onto his fingers and face, leg tensing over his shoulder and whole body bowing. She felt the low rumble leave his mouth again, vibrating against the wet folds of her cunt, and she  _whimpered_  as she spilled onto his hand, quaking with aftershocks.

His slick wet mouth pressed to the smooth skin of her inner thigh, warm breath making her tremble and whine. And he whispered, “there you go.”

She held on, shaking and blinking, as the bottle of lube snapped open. Dozy and pupils blown, she opened her eyes to see Toby hovering over her, his red-lined green eyes meeting hers when he looked back after dropping the bottle off the side of the bed. Tangling her fingers in his hair, she tugged his mouth over hers and arched against him eagerly. Their tongues thrust lazily, slipping and sliding over lips and teeth and tongue, and she could taste herself in his mouth. Their scents and taste mixed together had her mewling, hands scratching at his back because  _Matematemine-_ and she couldn’t slow down _._ They barely stopped for breath, or even for her to moan against his mouth when two fingers pressed into her again. She rode his hand fast and hard, relishing in every groan and thrust of fingers. Evie kissed sloppily, but with less tongue- just damp, open-mouthed presses of lips and harsh breaths- so she could pant his name and urge him on faster, deeper.

“Toby, please, I want you,” she whispered against his lips. The third finger joined at her urging, and she cried out as she ground down onto his hand. Feeling fuller, so close to what she needed. Almost close enough, but not. She shook through the smaller crashing wave and growled out the next words, " _Alpha_ , knot me. Now,  _now_."

“Evvy,  _fuck_ , where-” Toby stammered, fingers curling into her as they thrust in again. She mashed her face into his chest and screamed behind her teeth, her hips jerking down, too sensitive from her climax. She could barely feel his hips moving against her thigh, absently and haltingly. Evie was too busy losing her mind; lost on the scent of Alpha and  _Mate_  and brine and sex and  _them_. His fingers left her abruptly and she shouted with something like outrage, body shivering hard.

“The  _fuck_  was- why?” Evie exclaimed, rearing back. The condom in his fumbling hands, and the glowing scarlet of his eyes, had her heart thumping  _hard_  against her breastbone. “Yes, yes, give me that.”

"I've got it, just wait," he replied with a slight, breathless laugh.

 _Wait? More?_ She snatched the condom from his slippery fingers and tore it open. Taking the opportunity with a shrug and grin, Toby rolled onto his back to yank his boxers off. Before he could turn back, Evie swung herself back onto his lap and grinned down at him.

“My turn,” Evie taunted, dropping the wrapper to the side and hovering over him.

Toby stilled, eyes widening, before he leaned back on his elbows and gazed up at her, eyes half-lidded and smirk lopsided. “Please. Be my guest.”

Evie snorted loudly and rolled her eyes. “Was that Disney reference on purpose?”

His head tilted back as he laughed, and her eyes caught on the large dark bruise on his neck. An impression of her mouth on his flesh where anyone could see. Maybe she should’ve been an Alpha herself, because she’d never felt so smug and satisfied at the thought of leaving a hickey on someone, not even when she was a teenager and hickeys were cool. She glanced down the line of his torso, his heaving chest and jerking stomach as he laughed, the sweat that shined down into the dip of his bellybutton, the dark grey hair that started there and led down to the thick curls above his crotch. His cock lay over his hip, flushed a dark red and leaking a puddle onto the hollow of his pelvis, matting the dark hair even darker.

She wanted to put her mouth on him. Taste the bitterness of precum on her tongue and feel him thrusting into her mouth. But- she shook her head and methodically, slowly, smoothed the extra-large condom over his dick, stroking up and down maddeningly and biting her lip to keep from grinning when his hips moved up to follow her hands. Evie wasn’t half so patient as Toby, though. She made sure to roll the rubber all the down to the base, eyes widening at the slight bulge already there.

Oh,  _god_ , it was really gonna happen. And somewhere in her Beta-brain, she could only think-  _Good_.  _Mine_.

She held him in her hand and at last sank down onto his cock, both of them closing their eyes and groaning as he sank in deep and she pushed her hips  _down_.

“Evvy,  _Evvy_ , slow d-down,” Toby gasped, arm falling over his eyes and other hand gripping her hip. Gripping so hard the soft, brown skin turned white under his fingers.

“C-Can’t- To _by_ ,” Evie breathed out, shivering and sighing when she was fully seated, butt on his thighs and every inch of him inside her. The moment she paused, his hips jerked up involuntarily and she bucked forward, hands flat on his chest.

Her eyes rolled up as he almost  _almost_  thrust against that spot she only managed to find 1 outta 5 times on her own. She’d been too impatient to get it right most the time. This time, however, she  _knew_  down to her bones, it’d be  _right_. She must’ve known from the moment she scented him. He was  _her_  Alpha.

She pulled almost all the way free, just to thrust back down. They cried out together and both his hands were on her hips now. Her eyes flew up to his, and, gazes locked, she rode him. Faster and harder, body trembling and thighs burning in protest at the workout, but she kept going. His hands on her hips helped pull her up and push down, almost manhandling her if she hadn't been the opposite of passive. Fingernails scratched down his chest, not breaking skin but leaving behind faint red lines. A faint curse fell past his lips, and he braced his feet on the bed, heels slipping over cotton until he found his footing. To thrust up when she thrust down. Stars burst in her head at the first jerk of his hips. There were maybe a few decibels in difference between a shout and scream when the shift in angle had him pounding in just the right place, painfully  _perfect_  in intensity. Evie panted out his name and  _fuck_ s, moving faster even as she began to shake too hard to hold herself up. Her eyes squeezed shut and her hands curled into fists, shoulders slumping forward.

“ _There, there_ , Toby,  _Toby_ , please, Alpha,” she pleaded and gasped.

“Evvy, you can- come on, sweetheart, come for me again,” he urged, voice tight and shaking.

Her eyes snapped open wide, mouth falling open on a silent cry. She felt her body tighten around him and he slammed her hips down hard enough to bruise her butt on his hipbones. Her hands slapped over her mouth and her hips ground down desperately- and he  _swelled_  inside her. He kept getting bigger, pressed up against her G-spot so hard she couldn’t get away from the pressure. Wiggling only pressed her down harder, tied to him, and-

Evie breathed out his name and climaxed like a truck had hit her. She slowly slumped over him, her sweaty cheek pressed against his sternum where his heart beat so wildly she swore she could feel it rather than just hear it. She moaned against his skin, shuddered with each little thrust of his dick into her, still coming and swelled  _big_  inside her. She should’ve been terrified to move, but mostly she was terrified of the thought of the knot shrinking, of being empty after being so  _full_.

“Oh… my friggin’ goodness,” Evie muttered, thready and thin. His hands released her hips, finger by finger, slowly and stiffly, to gently rub up and down her back. She hummed sleepily and contented. “You’re done?"

“A-Almost.”

She giggled, and they hissed and moaned softly at the movement. “S-Sorry. How… long?”

“Never done this before. But… maybe thirty minutes?”

Evie frowned and carefully moved to cross her arms on his chest and perch her chin there. He raised his eyebrow at the ceiling, as if feeling her gaze on his chin.

“What?”

Evie huffed. “This was a very bad position. My hips are going to be killing me.”

Toby grinned lazily, eyes slipping shut once more. “Terribly sorry I let you have your way.”

“Shut up and help.”

His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, keeping her pinned snugly to his chest, and he slowly rolled them over. It was awkward and tugged at some sensitive places, and they accidentally lost track of things and started grinding into each other with soft, broken pants. But finally, they got back on their sides and their gazes, still shining red and blue around the blown-wide pupils, met.

“I really wish we could’ve brought the spaghetti in here with us,” Evie said, breaking the silence at last. He burst into laughter, clutching her close as she snickered and shuddered.

“I’m really glad Julius forced me to go to that ridiculous speed-dating. I might’ve missed meeting the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Evie blushed an ugly beet-red and pffted loudly, slapping a hand over his grinning face. “What did I say about the cheesy thing?”

“Not being cheesy. Being honest.” He gripped her hand in his and placed his mouth to her knuckles, not quite a kiss, but it had Evie’s hair rising up her spine like a cat. “I found my Mate there.”

Evie breath knocked out of her, even though she  _knew_  it, too. She hadn’t expected him to say it so easily, or so soon. Toby's smile turned lopsided and wry.

“I thought I’d gone crazy, when I thought Candace was your Mate, but I couldn’t stop looking at you. You were so vibrant and bright. When you said you were just friends, I knew I couldn’t let you leave without getting your number, or at least your name. I thought maybe, because you were a Beta, you couldn’t tell,” Toby confessed. Evie wrinkled her nose and ducked her head.

“I knew… I knew there was something…” she admitted. “But… I didn’t want to believe it.”

Toby’s hand on hers slackened and his expression became concerned and withdrawn. “Do you… Is this is not what you want? I can back off… slow down. I’m good at slow.”

Evie gave him a  _look_ , huffing slightly and flicking at his nose. “No way, Jose. You’re stuck with me. Literally, at the moment.” He snorted and dropped his head to her collarbone, shoulders shaking with his held in laughter. “I know, I know, that was terrible. But I had to.”

“No, no you didn’t.”

They laughed and winced and laughed more.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Mizumitsu.”

“And to you, Fuentes.”

“You’re still saying it wrong!”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm very sad there wasn't more foreplay. Toby definitely would've gone down if I'd let him. But I cut him off becuz it was getting too long already. I'm a dick. EDIT: I went back and added more. cuz apparently I'm not a dick. lmfao
> 
> Also, my headcanon for Evelyn when she's in an AU is; she's half-Latina. Toby, I leave Japanese, because it just suits him and his kitsune-ness. lol


End file.
